The Republican House majority refused to bring a bill to the floor for debate that would give legal recourse to LGBTQ individuals in cases of discrimination. House Bill 417 would have added sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to Montana’s Human Rights Act.

Governor Steve Bullock and legislative leaders say Montana’s state budget will get more intense focus during the 65th Legislature than in recent years. Officials are coming to this session facing declining revenues from natural resource extraction and lower tax collections that aren’t sufficient to pay for existing government services.